


Mysterious Origins

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Novel, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-12
Updated: 2006-03-15
Packaged: 2019-01-19 15:09:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12412674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: Meet the main character and how I picture myself in the wizarding world, Tabitha (aka Tab). This has been in the making for quite some time now. Hope you enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

  
Author's notes: 1  


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Standing quietly over, the sleeping child, Severus Snape looked sympathetically towards his sister. _How can she expect me to do this? I’ve never…I’ve no experience…_ His thoughts were confused and sought an answer that he couldn’t find within himself. His sister stood beside him, with a desperate look in her eyes. 

“Please, Severus. Please. You must. No one else can. She will soon be all alone and you will be her only family left.” She spoke softly, yet urgently.

Severus stood firmly and silently, still pondering over what she wanted him to do.  
“Sophia, you are my sister. You gave me kindness when all others turned it away from me. For that, I am in your debt. But what you are asking of me is overwhelming. How will I know what to do? She’s so young; she’ll ask where you have gone off." He bowed his head slightly, pausing hesitantly. "However, I will so do."  
A reassured smile played on the woman’s lips.  
“Thank you, Severus. Thank you. You will do just fine. And when she does ask, tell her the truth. And when the time comes, give this to her.” She handed him a dark, rusty looking chain with a small locket hanging from it. “Tell her the value of it and she will guard it with her whole being.”  
Severus accepted the necklace, placing it in a pocket. The woman, whose face was drenched with tears, wrapped her arms around her brother.  
“Thank you again, brother. I shan’t forget this. And I am sorry that I must do this to the both of you.” She then bent over the form of her sleeping daughter and pressed a light kiss to her forehead.  Sophia Jennings then grabbed up her black cloak and fastened around her before walking outside. Walking outside to fight for what she believed in. Walking for the last time.  
Before departing, Sophia whispered to her daughter, “Dear Tabitha, I hope you understand. Others would hurt you for being what you are. This is the only way for you to grow up and be happy and live a life to the fullest.  
Severus watched as his sister walked out of his life forever. He then turned to look at the little girl who was dozing peacefully, a tuft of brilliant red hair jutting from the top of her head. Sighing, he rubbed her head slightly.  
“What am I going to do with you?” he whispered before sitting in the chair beside her bed. He would sit there all night, as he would many nights. As Tabitha grew older, she often questioned Severus of her mother’s whereabouts. However when she turned eight, she asked for the last time. When Severus told his niece of her mother’s death, his heart nearly broke for the eight year old. She merely looked up at him questioningly, but not shedding a tear. She appeared to be shocked beyond comprehension.  
Over the years, Severus cared for his niece as if she was his own daughter. Through her first years at Hogwarts and during those awful Full Moons. Severus Snape had someone he cared about for the third time in his life.  



	2. Chapter 1: A morning with Severus

**Chapter 1: A Morning with Severus**

 Tabitha’s amber eyes fluttered open lazily.   
“S’morning already?” she asked yawning.  
“Of course it’s morning. It’s been morning for about an hour now.” Her uncle’s voice announced from above her.  
Looking at her clock, she saw that he wasn’t lying; it was nearly 1:30 am.   
“Must we do this tonight, uncle?” she asked, sitting up in her bed and looking quite disgruntled.  
“Yes. There are several things that you must learn before you turn 17. We are running out of time.” There was slight hint of urgency in his voice.  
“You only say that because once I turn 17, I won’t have to listen to you.” Tabitha mocked, smirking. Her uncle gave her a deadly glare. “Okay! I’m up. You just skedaddle so that I may dress.” She waved her hands towards the door to shoo him out. After he shut the door behind him, Tabitha pulled on a ragged pair of jeans. She left on the black tank that she had been sleeping in. She strolled into the living room where her uncle stood, awaiting.   
“So, what’s the lesson for tonight? Another potion session? Or more defensive spells?” she asked stifling a yawn and finally becoming alert.  
“A little of both.” Severus said shortly. “First, I want to see if you’ve been practicing like I told you.”  
Tabitha nodded, feeling a bit proud. She had indeed been practicing; clearing her mind out before she went to bed and closing off her mind. She faced her uncle with her wand at the ready. He faced her as well and this time, didn’t give the usual warning. He didn’t tell her to only disarm him. Without warning, Tabitha suddenly saw the memory falling off her first broomstick and breaking her arm. She concentrated with all her might to cease what her uncle was trying to see. He pushed harder against her resistance, breaking into more memories.  Tabitha’s face was twisted in exertion and frustration. Severus was forcing her to relive her worst memories just to break her will. _No. Not this time, you won’t._ Tabitha thought angrily. Despite her anger and fighting, Tabitha could still see a little red haired girl being chased through a forest. Being chased by a hairy beast, snarling after her. As the beast’s mouth came in contact with the girl’s neck, Tabitha felt a wave of rage like she hadn’t felt before.  
“Aguamenti!!!” she shouted. A jet of water shot out forcefully towards her uncle. Severus landed on the ground with a loud thump, his hair falling into his face.  
“Good. I wasn’t expecting _Aguamenti,_ perhaps a shield charm, but not aguamenti.” He commented as he arose, pointing his wand at his robes, drying them.  
Tabitha panted slightly, trying to catch her breath. “Well, I wasn’t exactly certain what to do. All I knew was that I wanted to stop you from seeing those memories. But I also knew that I didn’t want to hurt you.” She shivered slightly as her sweat became cold. She hated that memory. She had dreamed about it for years and it was bad enough then.  
“I’m pleased, Tabitha. You’re getting much better than you were before.” He flicked his wand at a medium sized cauldron and the water inside began to boil. “Now, on with the potion.” He said with a smirk. Tab smirked as well. If she was good at anything, it was potions. She began gathering her ingredients and sitting them all around the cauldron. She then stared at the cauldron with her mouth twisted, thinking. She mentally nodded to herself and began bustling away, chopping roots, mashing insects, adding brightly colored powders to the concoction. After a few minutes, Severus approached the cauldron, inspecting it.   
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve been practicing with this too.” He sneered. Tabitha gave her uncle a piercing look. He had ordered not to practice brewing this potion and she obeyed. Just because he said not to practice brewing it, didn’t mean that she didn’t stop looking over the directions in her books.   
“I haven’t been practicing.” She said simply. She had dreamed about the precise way to brew the potion and she was remembering every step. Even her uncle was slightly impressed with her progress. And that made all the difference in the world.  Tabitha continued to stand over the potion, occasionally stirring. The potion was giving a slight aroma of wolfsbane. Although the scent of wolfsbane was rather pleasant, wolfsbane itself was lethal in large amounts. She sighed to herself as she turned to some sliced feathers. Quietly and wth a look of apprehension, she poured the feathers into the boiling cauldron. Immediately, the scent of rotten eggs, sewage, and burning flesh invaded the room. Gagging, Tabitha stirred the potion.   
“I believe you’ve done all you can with that.” Her uncle said softly, his face showing no sign of the revolting stench. Tabitha gave a sigh of relief. “We’ll pick up here tomorrow night. I think about 24 hours of brewing ought to do the trick.” She looked confusedly at her uncle.   
“What? That’s all we’re doing?” she asked rather incredulously.  
“Why, yes. You’ve been up for nearly five hours.”  
“Five hours?!” her face showed her disbelief. She looked at her watch; it was just after 5 am. “It doesn’t seem like we’ve been at this for five hours.”   
“You’re improving. Things like time will vanish when you set your mind to the task at hand. Now. Go on and get a few more hours of sleep. I’ll wake you shortly.” Severus smiled warmly at her. She gave her uncle a smothering hug. He always protested when she hugged him like this, yet he always returned the embrace. She trekked on to her room, after letting go, her body acknowledging her lack of sleep. She slumped onto her bed, sleep seeming to have been waiting for her return. 

 

Severus was pleased with his neice. Her prowress at Occlumency was growing and soon she’d be able to brew the Wolfsbane Potion without difficulty. Her accomplishments made him proud but saddened him just the same. He waited until he was certain that she was overcome with sleep before he slipped outside of his small home. He lived in a very shabby cottage on the outskirts of a muggle village known as Spinner’s End. His home was not impressive and held many horrible memories. Dawn was slowly breaking; the sun’s rays barely reaching over the horizon, playfully tickling the clouds pink. He walked a short distance from his home before disappearing with a loud crack. He arrived in the midst of thousands of trees that stretched to the stars. The branches were so thick, the lightening sky could not be seen. He journeyed through the dense forest, until the sun had broken the horizon’s grasp. Before him stood the first place he had ever truly felt safe.

   
It was shortly after nine am when Severus returned. Tabitha was still sleeping peacefully, no inclination that her uncle had gone anywhere. He silently crept into her room, shaking her slightly. For the second time within a few hours Tabitha’s eyes fluttered open. As soon as her eyes opened, he exited her room. He knew that she wouldn’t falter back into unconciousness; her lesson well learned from her third year. Sleeping right past eleven and missing the Hogwarts Express certainly does motivate one to wake up when told. Tabitha groaned inwardly before she rolled out of bed for the second time that morning.  
“Oi! Uncle Severus!” she called from her position on the floor. Her uncle's head appeared in her door way. "What've you got planned for today?" She inquired, pulling a leg underneath her. Severus paused for a moment, thinking.  
"Actually, I'm in need of a trip to Diagon Alley." Tabitha regarded her uncle with a puzzled look.  
"Diagon Alley? Do you mean to say, you're coming with me?!" He nodded curtly before vanishing back into the kitchen. Tabitha broke into a large smile and picked herself off of the floor turning to her halfway packed trunk. The clothes were scattered about, creating the picturesque example of teenaged angst. She searched through  her clothes, finally holding up an olive colored t-shirt. She quietly got dressed before she exited her room. She still wasn't sure why her uncle was going with her. He often stayed behind, packing his own trunk.  
Severus stood peering into her simmering cauldron. "It's coming along nicely." he commented. She nodded and sat on a chair nearby, her expression inquisitive. If he knew of her confusion, he didn't let on; (and odds were, he knew). Tabitha's gaze followed him around the room. "Uncle?" his bustling form finally ceased and turned to face her.  
"Don't look at me that way." He reprimanded her probing eyes.  
“Why are you going with me?”  
“Because we both have need to go into Diagon Alley and it only makes sense that I should accompany you.” His answer was vague, but she didn’t press the matter further. If there was something she needed to know, sh’e find out eventually. “Now, come. Diagon Alley awaits.” He called from next to the fire place.  
Tabitha’s face broke into a smirk and she slipped into her grungy magenta Chuck Taylors as she joined her uncle before he Disapparated to the Leaky Cauldron.  
 

 


End file.
